Printing device



March 7, 1933. v- J. MoHLER PRINTING DEVICE Filed Dec.` 4, 1929 PatentedMar. 7, 1933 moose? vALENrINn J. Moni-nia, or RIVERroniisnyILLiNoIs,AssrGNon To lAmmessoGranen 'coMrANi or WILMINGTON; DELAWARE, aconronarIoN or DELAWARE PRINTING' DEVICE Application filed December 4,'1929. Serial No. 411,417.

ly comprise a frame and a plate having print? ling characters; embossedthereon7 the frame being providedV with retaining means for detaeliablyksecuring the plate in place thereon.

The retaining means have comprised overlapping parts ofthe frameivithwhich opposing edges of the plate are engaged by a full endvvisemovement of the plateon the frame, and they have also comprised yieldingmeans the form of locking tongues on the frame arranged to engageoneorvboth ends of the plate for locking the 'plate on the frame. Theselocking devices permit. the plate to be slid thereoif'er into propervposition on the frame but they lact as stops engaging the edges of theplate at one or both ends lto pre.- vent endivise movement of theplateon the frame after` it` is" properly posit-ioned. v.To permit removal ofthe-plate from the frame for replacement or otherpuigposes it isnecessary to depress one of theloclring devicesbefore the plate can yberemoved- Operators generally useaithumb nail ora .fingernail vand veryoften a finger naillile or a (knife '30y bladegor any other pointed.instrumentffor depressing the locking device, If this operation isrepeatedveryroften it is liable to disfigurethe thumbnail or finger nailand if an instrument is used it is very aptto be applied too,forcibly'vvith thel result that thelocking device is deformed and willnot return to locking position after-the -plate is removed as it isintended thaty it should do. The'retaining vdevices which overlapopposing edges of the plate extend continuously ordiscontinuouslyandsubstantially throughout the llength ofthe pla-te and more `or lesseffort is required to guide and movethe plate into and out of positionon the frame. To facilitate thismovement it has. beee'n customary to'make these edges ofthe plate discontinuous in a sortrof scallop butfthisldoes not. entirely lovercoi'ne the difficulties of inserting andremoving the plate. v'I`he'i`nsertionand removal'of platesy is doneoccasionally bysorne users WhileV other lance is increased by Wear ofparts and other causes incidental to production manufacture.

others, to facilitate the insertion of the plate users employ operators'who are constantly engaged in this ivorl; and since the plates andframes are manufactured for universal service fit vis the effort of themanufacturer. to

simplify the labor of the constant operator vwithouty adding to thedifficulties of the'occasional operator and Without lessening theefficiency of the'printing device. To enable the plate to slide.freely-it has been customaryl to provide a greater clearance betweenthe edges of the plate and the retaining means on the frame than wouldbe lnecessaryinerely to per- Amit slidin@r engagement. With' such aclearance the plate is 'always capable of a limited movement on'theframe Within the retaining means and While this movement is notordinarily obgectionable so far as printingy and Y registration isconcerned it may become undesirable and even objectionable Whentheclear- It is-the objectvof this invention to over-- lcome thedifficulties inthe Amanufacture and use of printing devices abovementioned, and

inthe frame and removal' of the plate from .the f r`ame,fand yto hold'4tlieplate rigidly in place in the frame against relative movement.

further object of the invention is to release the plate from the lockingdevice which holds the plate in the retaining means on the Vframe bymanipulation of the framel indev pendent of or in conjunction with thelocking -I device under pressure of the fingers and Without` requiringthe use of fingernails or instruments of any kind. i A

Further objects are to enable engagement ofthe plate with the retainingmeans and disengagementtherefrom by very short sliding movementsy oftheplate on` the frame; toen# able the plate to beinserted in initialposition` on thewframe by a transverse movement as distinguished from anend toy end movement;

to permit an especially free movementfof the [plate inthe retainingdevices While theplate visbeingpositioned von or removed-from the frameto facilitate these operations? and to hold the plate rigidly in placeonthe fframe in its linal position. n

And a further ob] 'ect kis eliminate the yielding device which has beenrelied upon heretofore to a large extent for locking the printing plateon the frame and to provide means which operate by wedging actionproduced by the sliding movement of the plate into position on the framefor holding the plate rigidly in position.

I have illustrated the invention in a selected embodiment in theaccompanyingA drawing and referring thereto,

Fig. 1 is a front view of a printing device with the printing plate ininitial insertion position on the frame.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a card and a plate in position on theframe.

Fig. 3 is a back view of the frame.

Fig. l shows a frame having two plates thereon.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line (ip-6 of Fig. 2.

i Referring to the drawing the frame 6 is provided with retainingdevices 7 for detachably holding an information card 8 thereon. Theframe also has retaining devices 9, 9 to receive a printing plate 10.The plate rc taining device at the bottom of the frame is preferably inthe form of a continuous bead; the retaining devices for engaging theends of the plate are preferably in the form of overhanginglips as shownin Fig. 5 or they may be ordinary stops as heretofore used and theretaining devices 9 for retaining the top edge of the plate arepreferably in the form of elongated lips or flanges. All ofthe retainingdevices are stamped from the metal sheet from which the frame is formed.The retaining devices 9 are spaced apart Yand from an intermediateholding device 11 which is also stamped from the frame. Thefplate hasretainer projections`12 on its upper edge to'slidably engage the lips 9.These projections are spaced from the ends of the plate and-from eachother and between the retainer projections the edge of the plate iscrowned at 13, to provide a wedge projection, by inclining the edgeupwardly from each retainer projection to a high point located midwaybetween the ends of the plate in the form of the invention illustratedin the drawing. And the retainer projections 12 and the wedge projection13 are so positioned with respect to the lips 9 and holder 11 that whenthe lower edge of the plate is inserted Vin the bead 9 at the bottom ofthe frame the `the right end retaining device 9 but this de- 4vice doesnot prevent engagement of the retainer projections with the lips as justdescribed. If necessary slight pressure may be applied on the plate atthe right end portion to effect engagement of the projection 12 adjacentthe right end of the plate with its lip 9. The projections 12 are ofsufHcient height to interengage the lips 9 when the plate is in finalposition, Fig. 2. As the plate is slid to final position the wedgeprojection 13 comes to rest with a wedging action against the holder 11whereby the plate is held rigidly in position on the frame. The partsare desirably made to provide the wedging effect to hold the plate infixed position von the frame but it is recognized that this is aneatness of lit whichit is difficult to provide in productionmanufacture and to preserve in continued use and while this accuracy offit is desirable it is not absolutely essential for the invention. Theretaining devices 9 engaging the ends of the plate act as stops toprevent endwise movementvof the plate on the frame, and so long as theprojections 12 engage the lips 9 when the lower edge of the plate isengagedwith the bead 9, and the` holder l1 cooperating with the wedgeprojection 13 prevents transverse movement of the plate sufficient topermit disengagement of the plate from the lips 9 or the bead' 9, the

plate will be held on the frame even thoughl it may be capable of aslight movement relative to the frame. The frame is preferably made fromthe blank more fully described inv my co-pending application Serial No.

411,416, filed December 4, 1929, and it hask at each end a plurality ofslots 14 formed by striking up the retaining stop devices 9 from thebody of the frame. The spacing flanges reinforce and strengthenV theframe transversely but the slots beino 'alined tend to Y weaken theframe longitudinally at the end portions. This makes it possible for theo-perator to bend the end portion of the frame, as shown in Fig. 5, toclear the end retaining stop 9` from the plate so that it can be easilymoved endwise from its final position, Fig. 2, to its initial position,Fig. 1, for removal. The complete removal is effected by slightlyswinging theupper edge of the plate forward until it has cleared thelips 9 and holder 11l and then lifting the plate out of the bead 9 atthe bottom ofthe frame. And it may be observed here that a simple way ofinserting the plate in the fra'meis to arrange it about the positionindicated in Fig. 1 and then inserting the lower edge of the plate intothe bead and flattening the plate against the frame tothe position shownin Fig. 1. Ordinarily bending of the end of the frame for removal of theplate, as described, will not damage the frame but it is appreciatedthat the bending may be carried too far and damage the frame andtherefore to cause the plate to clear the end retaining device stop 9 byf r ssp sufciently to clear the stop 9, or'the end of the frame may bebent to accomplish this result without operating the pressure section,but it is desirable that they be used conjointly because it facilitatesthe Aremoval operation. I also prefer to'inake the frames andthe platesso that the plates can be inserted' or removed from either end, and thisis theway I have shown rthem inthe drawing.. The

edge of the holder which co-operateswith the edge projection of theplate is belowV the base of the lips 9 where they connect with ythe bodyof the frame and this makes it neces- Y sary to insert-the plate bytransverse Vmovement into engagement with the bead at the bottom of theframe as shownfin Fig. 1 after which the plate is moved to the left intoposition on'the frame. It will be found convenient in removing a platefrom a frame to press down on the right hand end of the frame with thethumb of the right hand and at the Asame time press upward upon ftheadjacent pressure section with the foreinger of the right hand until theplate is clear of the retaining stop at the right end of the plate, andsubstantially at the 'same time slide the plate by pressure of the thumbof the left hand to the right until it can be grasped by the thumb andforefinger of the right hand and lifted away from the frame. Theseprinting devices can be used interchangeably with old Y printing devicesand the plates .can be used in old printing devices but-fthe .old platescannot be used in the new frames because they are not constructed tocooperate with theV retaining and holding devices of the' frame.l

The wedge projection on the plate cooperates with the holder 11 to holdthe plate ina `iiXed position on the frame and prevents undesiredmovement thereof during useof the device. The invention simplifiestheconstruction of the printing 'device and also simplifies and facilitatesthe insertion and removal of plates without damage lto the frame norinjury to `the operator. The invention can be embodied in printingdevices having two platesl? and 18, Fig. 4, arranged one above anotherupon the frame 19. In this construction lips 2O are employed astheequivalent for the bead to yengage the lower edge of the plate 17 andthe pressure sections 21 are made of su'icient size and are located tooverlap sections of both plates, thereby enabling them to be operatedfor the removal of either or both plates as desired.

I fh ave shownthe invention in selected embediments which are sufficienttor this application butI realize that changes inthe form,

constructionfand arrangement of parts may be necessary .to adapt theinventiontoy other .typesof printing devices which are or may berequiredrto meet the .demandsof business and I reserve the right `tomake all such changes within'the scope of thel following claims.

claim:l 1; A printing device .of the class described vcomprising aframe, a printing plate having typeA characters thereon,r means fordetachably retaining the plate onthe frame, said means' comprising` adevice on the frame engaging an end vof the plate, and afyieldin'gpressure section on the frameback of the plate adjacent said end thereofadapted lto be operated to lift said end of theplate sufficiently tocleark said retainingdevice and permit removal of the plate from theframe.

2; A printing device of the class described Y comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon, means for detachablyretaining the plate on the frame, said means comprising a device on theframe engaging an end'of the plate, anda yielding pressure section onthe vframe back of the plate and adjacent said end thereof, the Vend ofthe frame being bodily and vyieldingly bendable and said Vpressuresection adapted to be operated to release the plate from said retainingdevice and permit-removal of the plate from the frame.

3; A printing device of the vclass described Y comprising a frame,a'printing plate having typecharacters thereon, said frame having aspacing flange at one end and on its back,

means for'detachably retaining thev plate on the frame and including, aretaining device Yadjacent said flange andprojecting above the f :frontface of the body of the frame to engage an edge of the plate, and'meansfor moving thelplate to release it from said retaining device to permitremoval of the plate from the frame. 'f

4. A printing device of the classV described comprising a frame,aprinting plate having .typ-e characters thereon, means for tdetachablyretaining the plate on they frame and including means overlappingportions` of the top and bottom edges of the plate and also includingmeans abutting the end edges of the plate, a wedge projection on-.oneedge of the plate, and means onthe frame cooperating with said wedgeprojection for holding the plate in av fixedposition in the retainingdev vices'on the frame.'

5. vA printingl device of the class described comprising a frame, avprinting plate having type characters thereon, means for detach-- 1ably retaining theplate on the frame, said plate havingr retainer,projections spaced apart on its upper edge anda wedge projectionbetween said 'retainer proj eetions, said retaining means overlappingsaid projections iso and portions of the bottom edge of the plate andabutting the end edges of the plate, and ymeans on the frame cooperatingWith said Wedge projection for holding the-plate in a fxedfposition inthe retaining devices on the frame. Y

r6. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon, retaining means fordetachably retaining the plate on the frame, said plate having retainerprojections spaced apart on its top edge and a Wedge projection vbetweensaid retainer projections, and a holder on the frame cooperating Withsaid Wedge projection for holding the plate in al fixed position in theretaining means on the frame, the retaining means which engage the topedge of the plate being spaced apart to permit the bottom edge of theplate to be engaged With its retaining means by a transverse movement ofthe plate and said projections to be engaged with the retaining devicestherefor by an endWis-e movement of the plate.

7 A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon, means for detachablyretaining the plate on the frame, said means comprising a device on theframe forming a stop at one end of the plate, and a yielding pressuresection formed by cutting the frame, said pressure section being locatedback of the plate and opposite said stop and adapted to be operated tolift the end of the plate sufficiently to clear said stop.I

8. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aplurality of printing plates having type characters thereon, means fordetachably retaining the plates on the frame, said means comprisingdevices on the frame forming stops for adjacent ends of the plates, anda yielding pressure section on the frame back of and overlapping theplates vadj acent said ends thereof and adapted to be operated to liftthe ends of the plates suiiiciently to clear the stops.

9. A vprinting device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon and removably mounted onthe frame, an upwardly extending stop at an end of the frame againstWhich an end of the plate is abutted, said frame having a plurality ofcooperating slots spaced apart and arranged in substantial alignmentadjacent the end ofthe frame to increase the flexibility of the endportion of the frame and en able it to be easily bent to clear the stopfrom the end'of the plate and permit removal thereof from the frame.

10.l A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon, means overlapping top andbottom edges of the plate for retaining the plate on the frame, saidplate being freely movable in said overlapping retaining means, andcooperating means on the frame and on the plate for securing the platein fixed position on the frame by a Wedge effect When the plate is movedin said retaining means to final position on the frame.

11. A printing device of the class described comprisingv a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon and removably mounted onthe frame, and a plurality of stops spaced apart and stamped up on thefront of the frame in substantially vertical alignment adjacent an endthereof, one of said stops being abutted by an end of the plate, saidstamped stops increasing the flexibility of the frame so that the endportion may be easily and temporarily bent to clear the abutted stopfrom the end of the plate and permit removal of the plate from theframe.

l2. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon and removably Vmounted onth-e frame, said frame having a plurality of slits arranged insubstantially vertical alignment adjacent an end thereof and the framebeingV stamped at said slits to form stops spaced apart on the front ofthe frame, one of said stops being abutted by an end of the plate, saidslits and stops increasing the flexibility of the frame so that the endportion may 'be easily and temporarily bent to clear the abutted stopfrom the end of the plate and permit removal of the plate from theframe.

13. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon and removably mounted onthe frame, and a plurality of stops spaced apart and stamped up from thefront of the frame in substantially verticall alignment adjacent an endthereof, one of said stops being arranged to be engagedby an end of theplate, said stamped stops increasing the flexibility of the frame sothat the end portion may be easily and temporarily bent to clear thestop from the end of the plate and permit removal of the plate from theframe, and a yielding section in the frame under the plate adapted to bepressed to clear the plate from said stop.

14. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, aprinting plate having type characters thereon, meanson the frame forremovably retaining the plate thereon, means for making one end portionof the frame yieldingly bendable under pressure, and said retainingmeans comprising an Aupwardly extending member at said yielding portionof the frame adapted to abut the comprising a frame, a printing platehavingv type characters thereon, means on the frame for removablyretaining the plate thereon, said frame being weakened at one endportion to permit said end portion to yieldingly bend under-pressure,and said retaining means comprising an upwardly extending member onsaid'end portion adapted to abut the end of the plate under normalconditions and to clear the plate and permit removal thereof from theframe when said end portion is depressed.

VALENTINE J. MOHLER.

